You Only Get What You Give
by Naora
Summary: **semi-complete; temporarily abandoned** Five years after Talking to Dragons, Daystar's restlessness drives him to leave the comforts of the castle and the princehood... He has no clue what he's in for.
1. Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the character in this chapter. In the future I'll post which characters I own and which any one else owns, and you can pretty much safely assume that any other characters are owned by Patricia C. Wrede and her publishing company.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ooooookay…. Well, this is me first deliberate fic, I've had this idea for awhile now, but I'm just now getting around to putting it on the figurative paper because of commitments and a few teachers who think people have no life outside their class….. Anyway, on with it! This is a chapters fic, I don't know how long it's going to be. I'm just sort of writing it as it comes, and around a very full schedule, so please be patient with me. What else did I want to say…? Oh yes, TITLE! I NEED a title, and I suck at coming up with them, so if you read this and get an idea, please tell me what it is! R/R, thankees veryvery much. -Noala

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He walked down the staircase with slow, deliberate strides. The flickering light from the torches in their sooty holders on the walls cast a strange shadow over the stone wall, a shadow that twisted and writhed as if flowing with the heat generated by the small fires and trapped within the staircase. He could have easily used a bit of magic to transport himself to the Armory instantaneously, or at the least provide himself with a steady light and a bit of cool air, but he preferred not to. The ingrained habits learned in his childhood were harder to cast off than the ragged clothes he had worn in his daring adventure five years earlier, but he had acquired a sense of self-sufficiency and honor in doing things "the hard way," with only your wits and any spare objects around to aide you. He briefly reflected on this strange preference of his as the stairway wound down, seemingly winding into eternity. At the bottom of the endless corkscrew was what he was searching for.

The Armory had not changed much since the last time he had been there. There chests still lined the wall; the assorted weapons hung in their near-decorative patterns on their individual hooks. The weapons – swords, bows, maces, more – were all excellent weapons in some way or another, even if only excellent in visual appearances, but none were for him. In a pinch, one might do, if it was the right one, but there was no advantage, and several disadvantages, to taking another weapon when the right one lay so close at hand. He strided towards the third chest from the left and lifted the lid, wincing as the hinges let out a shrill scream of agony. In the chest were four swords, jumbled together like so many toothpicks. But he knew; oh, and well he should know, which one he had to retrieve. He reached for the one sword with copper inlays on the grip and pommel, a double-edged blade with a keen shine. He flicked a fingernail against the edge and listened to the clear sound, well satisfied with fate's choice. He then dug in the chest and pulled the sword's scabbard from under the rejected blades; the sheath was midnight blue with gold, silver, and copper inlays. He quickly fastened the sword belt around his body and sheathed the shimmering blade with one smooth motion. The sword made a melodious scrape as it entered the sheath, and there it rested. Daystar, Prince of the Enchanted Forest, set his hand on the hilt of the sword he would bear on his first willing adventure.


	2. Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER: I own Fiare. Everything else is owned by Patricia C. Wrede and her publishing company.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yadda yadda yadda… thanks for reviewing! Yes, I know the first part was kinda short, but I wrote it in a burst of energy at three in the morning… oh well. I think I might make that a prologue, it's really too short to be a chapter. This one is mostly background, but it sets things up so you understand where I think I want to go. Besides, you think I'd keep you in the dark as to what happened between Talking to Dragons and my story? **grins** Also, Hyzenthlay, I think I know you… or know OF you at least. **starts singing It's A Small World After All** Thanks to Hippy Gypsy for suggesting The Second Wielding as a title, although I'm sorry, but I can't use it because Daystar is not wielding the Sword of the Sleeping King. **grins** You'll find out why later. But it _did_ give me an idea. How about The Second Venture as a title? Please tell me yes, no, or stop bothering us and go home when you review! -Noala

In the late afternoon sunlight, tinted green as it filtered through the leaves of the giant trees, Daystar had to admit that some of the novelty was wearing off. The ghost of adventure and of some unnamable want hadn't died, but it had taken refuge and would probably not be seen for a long time. Daystar was walking through the Enchanted Forest, bearing as the only signs of his royal nature his distinguishing looks and an air of authority that had grown in leaps and bounds in five years. Other than that, he looked as common as he had when he and his mother Cimorene had lived in the small cottage of his youth: his clothes were plain, he wore no crown, had a no nonsense haircut preferred by many of the noblemen he had met, and his sword's hilt and its scabbard were wrapped in strips of leather.

Daystar at last consented to himself that he needed to stop and rest. He found a small glen with a few rocks in it after a minute of searching, and after he checked to make sure the rocks weren't enchanted, he settled down on the largest. His large water bottle hung from his belt; the level was low, and Daystar decided to refill it the next time he came to fresh water. He had been walking most of the day with little stops for water every once in awhile, but he understood that he'd have to pace himself a little better if he wanted to be any good for traveling later on. After all, this time he didn't have a fire witch, a kitten, or a young dragon to hold him back….

I wonder what they're all doing right now, he thought. _Let's see…Shiara is probably still with Father, discussing one of Telemain's new spells or some diplomatic problem or other, Kazul must be asking for dinner, Mother is probably honoring her with chocolate mousse and currently covered in some powdery baking ingredient. Morwen and Telemain…? Those two might already have returned home, or they might have stayed the night; they do have the baby to worry about after all. _Daystar smiled unconsciously as he thought of the squirming bundle of energy known as Fiare, something that not even the gargoyle could hope to deal with and have everything come out as expected. In her seven months of life Fiare had already proven herself quite adept at wreaking all sorts of imaginative havoc around the castle, most of which gave everyone a good laugh as they helped to clean up. Yes, they had probably gone home, and saved the castle from more accidents.

He smiled again as he remembered why those particular people had come to the castle two days ago; and how they had reacted when he spilled his news….

~*~*~

It was the fifth anniversary of the day of what had come to be known as the Last Battle, the day when Daystar gained a father, and the kingdom regained a king. Things had transpired quickly after that. Shiara and Kazul had left for the Mountains of Morning, Telemain and Morwen had left for the cottage, and the royal family had settled into its new routines as gracefully as they could manage. For the first year everyone was too busy with mopping up after the war to do anything else, even feel very sad when Morwen lost the baby she was carrying. The second year, most of the effects of the war had been dealt with, but the beurocratic and diplomatic half began to creep up on them. Morwen and Telemain were frequent visitors, and much more often than not, worked as an "extended branch" of the royal family so Mendanbar, Cimorene, and Daystar could have some peace. The two of them had no problems with it, and enjoyed it most of the time. But around that time Telemain began to tinker not only with other people's spells and formulae, but his own as well; he had found the bug of creation again and it had bit him big-time. Morwen was very pleased by this development and she and Telemain had gradually retreated to the cottage where they could work with fewer interruptions, leaving more and more of the work to the royal family. Shiara and Kazul were experiencing similar difficulties; the repercussions of the Wizards' War would take a long time to fade. Kazul could not be spared from administrative work, and as Kazul's new Princess, Shiara was as in the thick of things as Cimorene had been almost twenty-five years earlier, perhaps more so. Her blunt nature and her ability to say things that no one could put delicately were making her an invaluable asset to King Kazul. Neither of them could often be spared for even the time it took to make a short call, much less fly to the forest and back. Three years after the Last Battle the royal family had managed to take a break and do some house cleaning, and organize a tournament that had ended with lots of eggs. But after that it had gotten busy again, with giants, nightshades, Silverstaff elves… there had been little or no time for Daystar to go off on his own. But his adventure had shown him he had a love of the quest, and the tournament had shown him that there was more out there than endless piles of paperwork. He'd have to deal with enough of that when he was King, a time he hoped wouldn't come for many years, and right then his relatively young blood sang out for adventure. He had once thought that he was acting like several young idiots his age in this want of adventure, but what they wanted was the glory, and all he wanted was to be doing something. Something besides push paper. Something _interesting._

Sometime in the fourth year, he had begun sneaking away from meetings where he wasn't really needed and researching various topics in the castle's gigantic library. He had read about famous dragons (even though he had absolutely no intentions of getting into a fight with one, much less being impolite and getting eaten), trolls, giants, and various other nasties. He read biographies of famous knights, kings, younger princesses, virtuous woodcutter's sons, and anyone else who had deemed their experiences worthy of being put on paper, although he could tell as he read that most of these heroes had very inflated egos. Still, he took to heart what seemed to be good advice, sifted out the useless jargon, and began to understand just what a quest was about. Then it was on to weapons… the research took him three quarters of a year. It was only a matter of a day to find if there was a suitable weapon in the Armory; he could not take the Sword of the Sleeping King outside the Enchanted Forest. But this sword was definitely suitable for his purposes. He waited three months before retrieving the sword; all they needed at that time was a false alarm that most people would take for more wizards. He carefully arranged his plans and waited for an opportunity to present itself; and finally, his parents had provided him with the perfect occasion.

King Mendanbar's aversion to formal occasions was very well known, but Queen Cimorene (with help from Willin, Daystar suspected) had managed to convince him that the fifth anniversary of the end of the Wizards' War and his own liberation deserved to be recognized. Everyone who had participated in any way was coming, from Dobbilan and Ballimore to the last of Morwen's cats and the elves. Every fire wizard who had settled in the Enchanted Forest, and a good chunk of those who hadn't, had said they were coming, and they were even expecting one or two of Cimorene's sisters to show up. Most important of all to Daystar though was the fact that every single one of the dragons was coming… and their princesses as well. Kazul and Shiara were flying in early, to help arrange accommodations for that number of dragons for the three days the celebration would last. Daystar was uncertain what Shiara's reaction would be when he told her his plans, but he was fairly certain she wouldn't like being kept in the dark with everyone else.

Two days before the celebration began Daystar was standing at the window at the top of the tallest tower in the castle, squinting into the morning sun and waiting for a certain familiar shape to appear over the tree tops… There it was! A dark blur was growing on the face of the sun, becoming more and more defined by the moment. Soon he could make out the shapes of tiny wings beating up and down like some parody of a bird's, although he couldn't see the smaller blur he was sure would be on the back of the larger. His eyes cleared as he turned from the window and raced down the stairs, nearly breaking his neck as he took most of them two at a time.

He burst out of the kitchen door and onto the wide lawn generally called The Dragons' Landing to see his mother, father, and Willin welcoming the guests to the castle. Cimorene was giving Shiara a sisterly hug as Mendanbar chatted with Kazul and Willin looked on with a faint semblance of shock at the informality. Daystar was walking towards the group when he heard the door open behind him again, and he turned his head to see Morwen and Telemain, who had arrived the night before, step through at a more sedate pace than he himself had taken. The former was carrying a squirming bundle of arms and legs and the latter a sturdy bag marked "Distractions- use only in emergency". From that bag could be produced almost anything needed to trap the active Fiare's attention long enough to save some painting or priceless rug from destruction. The family followed Daystar's path to the gathering, Morwen and Telemain smiling slightly as Kazul broke off her talk with Mendanbar to coo at Fiare.

Daystar didn't waste time; he directed a quick, polite hello at Kazul, then grabbed Shiara's wrist and led her rapidly away, ignoring her protests. He also ignored a knowing look that passed between Cimorene, Morwen, and Kazul; let them think what they will, the crush he had had on Shiara at sixteen had dissolved, leaving them as good friends, but nothing either of them could say would make the others believe that. Daystar led Shiara around the outside of the castle, then hushed her with a gesture and pulled one of the invisible strings of magic radiating through the forest, making them disappear from the lawn and appear in the library he had spent so much time in recently.

Shiara definitely didn't look too pleased. "Daystar, what is going _on?_"

Daystar sighed. "Shiara, this is _important_, will you _please_ be quiet long enou-"

"You drag me away without letting me say hello to Telemain or Morwen or the baby, or your father for that matter, don't tell me what you're doing, and expect me to keep _quiet_?"

"Not you I don't," he muttered. "Shiara, just _shut up_ for a minute." His voice had quite a distinct edge in it.

Her eyes widened and she took a step back, almost shocked into silence by the uncharacteristic sharp tone of voice. He took the opportunity. "Thank you. I'm leaving after the celebration."

Shiara blinked. "Why? You couldn't be bored, you certainly have enough to do here."

"That's just it Shiara, there's too _much_ to do here. All of it the same, and all of it boring. Look at it." He slowly walked over to one of the three tall, skinny windows and stared out at the Enchanted Forest. After a moment Shiara followed, the skirt of the very practical dress she wore brushing against table legs and chair arms. "One day, all of that will be mine. I know it by heart - on paper. We've been too busy with forms and documents and this ambassador needs to sign this and that emissary needs to approve that for me to see much of it. I think I saw more five years ago when I didn't know who I was than I have since then." He turned to look at her, and his face held traces of regret, longing, and something else she couldn't identify. "I want to be a good king," he whispered, "and I know all the paperwork now will teach me management for when I really need it, but there's more to the Enchanted Forests than Willin's lists. And beyond it too. My whole life I've existed in two places, the cottage and the castle, except for those few days when I didn't belong in _either_ place." She knew he meant their adventure. Daystar fell silent for a minute, staring mutely out the window and off into the trees. Then he spoke so quietly she had to strain to hear him. "And I don't really belong here until I do this."

Shiara tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you really have to do this?"

He nodded wordlessly, that same longing expression on his face.

She dropped her hand and stepped back a pace, crossing her arms across her chest as she did so. "Then you should do it." Her voice was firm, but not stubborn. "You're miserable here now, and I _certainly_ don't blame you, if your work has been anything like mine… you're not meant to sit behind a desk. So get out! Go! Nothing's stopping you. Unless your own sense of honor is."

She had hit it. His honor would not let him leave without someone's prior approval. He felt like a weight had been lifted, and his decision was indeed the right one. He grinned abruptly and turned to face her. "Thanks Shiara. Now you get to help me pack." He tugged on her hair, which had grown exceptionally long in the past few years, as he strode out of the library to his room.

Daystar had stood at the height of the feast on the last day of the celebration. When he had gotten everyone's attention, he had announced his intents to leave. The news was clearly not a surprise to some. Telemain looked mildly startled, but Morwen was wearing a typical "I-told-you-so" look as she struggled to contain Fiare. Shiara had an outright defiant expression and grinning at the same time, while Kazul seemed amused. Mendanbar looked first surprised, then resigned and proud, and Cimorene…

~*~*~

If I didn't know better, I would say Mother seemed triumphant. Daystar's mind returned to his glen of tall trees and sun-warmed rocks. _Although she couldn't have known… _He smiled amusedly. Hadn't he learned, years ago, not to underestimate what his mother knew?

A rustling in the bushes that partially ringed the clearing drew his attention. Daystar was on his feet in moments, hand on his sword hilt and ready to cast a spell if necessary, as he berated himself for dropping his guard. The rustle came again, a bit louder and slightly to the left. For several moment he watched with his ears, not his eyes; he let his ears track the movements of the thing in the bushes as he mind ran through the worst case scenarios… it could be a nightshade, of a wolf pack, or a wizard, or an ogre… 

It came again, several feet to the left of where it had started. He shifted to face it and drew his sword with a metallic ring. "Who, or what, are you?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ooooh, cliffhanger! Sorry, sorry sorry… just think of it like an old-fashioned radio show. Those always ended with the hero dangling above a volcano or tied to railroad tracks or about to die in some other creative way. So you'll have to wait till the next one to find out what's about to jump out of those bushes. Remember to review!


	3. Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER: Oh, take a guess at what this'll be. "I own only the character at the end. Everything else belongs to Patricia C. Wrede and her publishing company." Didja get it right?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ha ha ha… only took me a month, I think. Sorry everyone, got bogged down in other projects for people's birthdays, school; you name it I've probably done it recently. So please forgive me! Oh yeah, and PLEEEEEEAAAAAAASE give me title suggestions! I need one desperately! To paraphrase a Star Wars quote: "Many carrots died to bring you this chapter." Yes, the authoress is hyper, and no, she does not know why. -Noala

The rustling came again, louder and closer than before. Daystar silently turned again to face the new direction, wondering what waited so long before attacking.

Abruptly, the noise stopped. Daystar could again hear birds singling clearly, the wind blowing through the trees, a frog croaking somewhere in the distance… but he knew the danger was not gone. It was waiting there, silent and still, waiting: waiting for him to relax, drop his guard, or make some other fatal mistake. When he did… he didn't want to think abo-

Something burst out of the bushes directly in front of him with such speed that he couldn't follow its dark shape, but at the same time it seemed to be a very _small_ something. A brief thought – was it a new type of nightshade? – flashed through his mind as he quickly brought his sword into a ready position. Then he came to his senses and looked down.

A slightly small, almost completely black cat was rubbing against his ankles. The cat had one white paw, which made it look like it had stepped in a paint puddle.

"Nightwitch!" Daystar cried, sheathing his sword. He bent down and picked up the cat, rising to hold her in front of his face. "What are _you_ doing here?" He looked around quickly, searching for the inevitable, then back at the cat. "Is Shiara somewhere around here?"

The cat couldn't tell him anything, of course, but she narrowed her eyes in a gesture of approval at Daystar and began to purr.

He sighed and let the cat climb onto his shoulder, and managed not to wince when she dug into his shirt with her long claws to get a good perch. Then he began walking around the glen, shouting "Shiara! Where are you? SHI-ar-A! Drat the fire-witch. Shiara!"

Only the birds answered him. He sighed and sat back down on his rock, running his fingers through his hair and putting it in disarray. He started planning some very imaginative uses for the equipment in the dungeon under the tower. Then he winced when he realized exactly _what_ Shiara would do to him if he ever tried it. He wasn't _that_ suicidal. He stood up again, jostling Nightwitch and making her protest loudly, and walked back to the place where the cat had emerged from the bushes. "Shiiiiiiaaarrrrrraaaaaa!"

Something went OOF a few feet away, and the errant fire-witch fell through the bushes, not looking very pleased. Shiara had twigs tangled in her long hair, leaves stuck to her clothes, and a smear of mud across her face. She glared up at Daystar, who was trying his honest best not to laugh, but not doing a very good job of it

Shiara snorted and tried to stand up, but fell right back down again because one of her pants legs was caught in some prickers. Daystar gave up on trying not to laugh and sank down on his rock again, clutching his stomach and wiping tears from his eyes. Nightwitch hissed and swatted him on the ear with her paw, then jumped off his shoulder and strolled over to Shiara, mewling on the way.

"I know, he _is_ acting like an idiot," the fire-witch replied to her cat. "That's how he acts most of the time. Daystar, would you be ever so kind as to _shut up_ and _help me_?" The way she was clenching her teeth convinced Daystar that it would be a very good thing to do if he wanted to stay in one piece. He repressed his mirth, walked over to the bushes, and disengaged the thorns from the cuff of Shiara's pants. Shiara and Nightwitch meanwhile de-twigged her hair and de-leafed her clothes, so that when she was able to stand up after a few minutes she was more or less presentable, if one ignored the mud. She straightened her tunic and brushed the dust off her clothing, then crossed her arms and glared at Daystar, who had started laughing again.

"Laugh it up dimwit, just remember I _can_ roast you if I want."

"Sorry, sorry." He got himself under control again, then looked at her with a serious expression. "What are you _doing_ here? I thought you understood how important this was to me."

"I do, and-"

"Well, it doesn't matter, I'm not going back, so you can tell whoever sent you that it was worthl-"

"DAYSTAR!"

He shut up.

"Thank you. Daystar, I didn't come out here to bring you back." Shiara sat down and started scrubbing at her cheek, trying to remove the mud.

"You didn't? Then why are you following me?"

Shiara looked slightly smug. Daystar did not like that look at all. "I'm coming with you."

He groaned, earning a reproachful look from Nightwitch. "Shiara…"

"Daystar, no matter what you say, I'm coming. Learn to like it." She pulled off one of her boots and emptied a few pebbles from it. "I'm bored to tears myself with all the paper work in the Mountains, so once I found out you were serious about this I asked Kazul if I could take a break." She pulled off her other boot and repeated the process.

"What'd she say?" he asked, interested in spite of himself.

"No Nightwitch, you can't take a nap there." Shiara pushed the cat away from one of her boots, then pulled both back on. "She said 'That's a very good idea. Why don't you pack and then run along and join your little friend?' The way she said 'little friend' and the look she gave Cimorene made it pretty clear she meant something else." Shiara rolled her eyes.

Daystar shook his head. "Parents. Or pseudo-parents. They always want to make trouble."

Shiara nodded. "Definitely." She stood up again and picked up Nightwitch, stroking the cat's head and making her purr loudly. "So, Mr.-All-Knowing-Prince-Man, where to next?"

He had to laugh at that one. "Well, actually, I had this idea…"

~*~*~

A few hours later it was full dark and they were still walking. Shiara wanted to stop and find a place to spend the night, but Daystar's magical sense of direction in the Enchanted Forest told him it wasn't too much farther to his chosen destination, so he kept on. Shiara grumbled, but also continued walking, sometimes carrying Nightwitch and sometimes putting her down to run alongside them.

The sun had been down for about two hours when that same internal sense told him that soon he wouldn't _have_ that internal sense anymore. "Shiara, grab my wrist."

She didn't argue, just grabbed his wrist and let herself be led. Daystar dodged a tree or two, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then took one step and fell to the ground in shock.

Shiara was kneeling beside him immediately, trying to turn him onto his back. "Daystar, are you all right? What happened? What attacked you?"

He groaned and sat up, holding his forehead where he had hit it on a fallen limb. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll have a bruise, but I'm fine." He looked around then abruptly started grinning. "We did it."

"Did what?" Shiara was still kneeling, but she looked cross and had her fists planted on her hips. "Daystar, if you don't start explaining…"

He stood up, and she quickly followed, ready to grab him if he started falling again. He didn't, but he waved his hand around to indicate the area around them. "Take a look around."

Shiara gave an exasperated sigh and threw her hands in the air, turning away from him. "You're gonna be as bad as Telema-" She suddenly stopped talking when she saw their surroundings.

They were standing on grass. Nice, normal grass tinted slightly yellow. The trees they could see were mostly pines, a little on the tall side, but not very. The ground underneath the trees had its own carpet of pine needles. Nightwitch roamed a little away from them and started chasing a lazy butterfly.

Shiara slowly lowered her hands. "I don't think we're in the Enchanted Forest anymore." She looked back at Daystar. "Why did you do that? You're powerless out here."

He just shrugged. "Change of scenery? Anyway, let's get going. We're very close."

"Close to what? DAYSTAR!" She groaned and shook her head as he started walking away. "Sometimes I think _I'll_ end up killing him." She grabbed a protesting Nightwitch and ran after him.

~*~*~

Not even half an hour later Daystar recognized something ahead of him. His speed increased slightly, and Shiara was amused to notice an almost-hop come into his step. A few minutes later, Daystar walked between two trees, jumped over a small stream, and stopped. "We're here."

This time Shiara didn't ask questions. She started looking around. The first thing that came to her attention was a road with a path leading off it. Then came a fence, surrounding something she assumed had been a garden, but had long since fallen into disarray. Then she noticed the path from the road led through the garden and up to… "Is this it?"

He nodded.

"This is the place you grew up?" She whistled. "I hope it looked better back then." The cottage had suffered the same fate as the garden: it was in complete disrepair. The door Antorell had destroyed had never been repaired or replaced, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the wall. The wood in the walls had turned gray with weathering and neglect, and rotting spots were clearly starting to show. Five winters' worth of leaves and debris had blown up against the cottage, never to be swept away. Someone had left a window open as well, and Shiara could only assume that debris and dirt has also gotten inside.

"It did. No help for it though. We can stay here tonight; we might even get beds if they haven't been stolen. Mother didn't take any furniture with her."

Nightwitch mrowled, making Shiara look at her with a serious expression. Nightwitch kept talking, and Shiara's face became more and more grave. "Daystar, something's wrong, but she doesn't know what. And if a cat doesn't know…"

Daystar nodded and drew his sword. "Better to be too prepared then not prepared at all. I'll go first." 

Shiara rolled her eyes. "Oh no you don't. Your neck is more valuable than mine, and I am not letting you get hurt unless I am the one doing the hurting." Shiara set Nightwitch down and let the cat trot ahead of her as she walked up the path. She called back over her shoulder, sounding slightly smug, "Besides, this means magic, and we both know-"

A blinding flash of light and an earth-shaking explosion came from inside the cottage as Shiara reached the door. She was torn off her feet with the force and thrown back to lie in a heap in front of Daystar, unconscious. He quickly knelt and checked her over, discovering a cut on her temple that bled profusely. He stood up again and held his sword ready to defend them both, then watched in horrid fascination as a bluish light slowly came from the cottage, pulsing and growing stronger with ever pulse. Then, in the next second, a person was suddenly silhouetted against the light. That person was carrying a staff. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know, another cliffhanger. You will soon find that I stop a chapter whenever it seems right, and I've found that frequently chapters are stopped _just_ when something starts happening. It keeps the reader in suspense, and consequently they don't want to stop reading. So yes, I am trying to keep you in suspense. **grins** Sorry. But I think you'll forgive me eventually. **Remember to review!** -Noala


	4. Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER:

DISCLAIMER: The usual… Tenia belongs to me, everything else belongs to Ms. Wrede… la la la…..

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hee hee hee…. Oooh boy, it's taken me awhile to get this chapter out. So much stuff been going on…. I got a job! It's a government job in the library. Fifteen hours a week at about five and a half bucks an hour… pretty small salary, but the taxes are pretty good… Also had Spring break, we went down to Disney World (Yea Star Tours! Five times!). I got slightly sunburned, but I'm all right now. Ahh…. carrots…..

AUTHOR'S NOTE TWO: Now it's June, almost July… sheesh, I've been slow lately. Forgive me! I hope you'll like this chapter all the better for the wait! But school's out! And I went to France! Yay! I miss crepes… and their strawberry ice cream… ~Noala

The person's form was pitch black against the eerie blue light. Its edges were slightly blurry and seemed to shimmer. The staff it held grew wider and narrower in time with the pulsing, and Daystar felt himself being mesmerized by the effect. The figure's head tilted down and seemed to take in Shiara, still unconscious on the ground, and Nightwitch, sitting next to her mistress and hissing for all she was worth. Daystar slowly lowered his sword as the unseen gaze shifted to him, compelled by some unknown force he didn't have the knowledge to fight. Invisible hands calmly pried open his fingers, letting his sword drop. It landed point-first in the soil, the hilt within easy reach, but the same force would not let him retrieve it.

The four were frozen in that tableau, the lights still flashing in the cottage, for what seemed an eternity. Then Daystar mentally jumped: he couldn't really jump because his body was no longer his own. Instead it was bending at the waist, and his arms were extending by themselves. He tried to pull back, stand upright, anything, but nothing responded to his commands. His body kept stooping over, and finally it picked up the unconscious Shiara and began walking towards the cottage door, leaving his sword in the middle of the path and a suspiciously silent Nightwitch sitting next to it. 

Whoever was controlling him had powerful magic. Daystar was a prisoner in his own mind, confined in a cage built inside his head, rattling and shaking the bars, yelling for help, but not breaking free. It was as if he was under hypnosis. His body was ten steps from the door… _time itself was slowing, he was moving through quicksand… _eight… five… _he couldn't fight it, there was no breaking free…_ three… two… _he felt if he could he would scream…_ one… there. The face was still unknown to him; he was looking directly into the blue light, which was surprisingly settling down at its brightest, no longer pulsing.

A ragged gasp came from the mystery person, who quickly backed away a few paces from the door; at the same time Daystar's thoughts, mind, and body snapped together, and he shook his head, being careful not to jostle Shiara. Nightwitch let out a loud yowl and bounded up the path to him, then leaped onto his shoulder and began to hiss at the person again. Daystar absently told her to shush, but kept most of his attention focused on the person he still could not see for the blue light.

"Oh, how stupid of me," a feminine voice remarked. The same voice murmured under her breath, a long, complicated sentence, and the blue light abruptly vanished to be replaced by a soft yellowish glow, much as the sunlight at noon.

Daystar blinked at this new light and gave his eyes a few moments to adjust. Nightwitch mewled inquisitively and jumped off his shoulder, walking up to the woman who was now clearly visible in front of them. Daystar, fairly sure she was not going to attack them, turned his attention to more important things. The cut on Shiara's head was still bleeding, and a reddish patch was forming on his shirtsleeve. He carefully stepped through the door and walked across the main room, then through a door that had led to his mother's room. He was in luck; the bed was still there, and miraculously the pillow as well. He gently deposited Shiara on the bed, arranging the pillow so it would support her head.

"I have bandages if you want them," remarked the same voice from before. Daystar whirled; the woman was standing in the doorway, Nightwitch by her feet. How she had gotten there without him hearing, he couldn't guess. The cat bounded up and sprang onto the bed, settling down by her mistress' face. "It seems the least I can do after giving Shiara such a nasty cut."

"Thank you, I- wait, how do you know her name?"

The woman laughed and turned around, started to walk back into the main room. "I know several things about her. And probably you as well, Prince Daystar."

His jaw dropped. He followed in her wake, watching her as she searched through his mother's ancient cupboards for something. In the sun-like light he could clearly see her: she looked to be about twenty-five with light auburn hair in a cut a little past chin-length, and had a rather slender figure. She glanced at him when he did not respond and smiled, showing him hazel-green eyes and making her look quite pretty. He blinked and shook his head again as she gave a small cry of triumph and removed a box from a cupboard, then sat down at the old weather-beaten table, using a chair he remembered from his childhood, holding the box in her hands. He quickly glanced around and found everything else almost exactly as he had expected it: the door to his old room open, as he had left it, the rest of the furniture in very bad shape, the fire place cold and unused. The woman had obviously attempted to clean the place up though, as there was no debris covering the floor and a broom was leaning in the corner next to the staff she had been holding. He blinked away a sudden sense of vertigo and dragged the second chair over to the table and sat. "How do you know all this? Have we met you before?"

She smiled again, opening the box and sifting through the contents. "Shiara I know very well, although I haven't met you before. I've heard a lot about you though." She pulled a wad of bandage out of the box and a small pair of scissors. "Let me put this on Shiara and then we'll talk."

"All right."

The woman smiled (_It seems to be a habit with her,_ Daystar thought) and went into the room where Shiara now lay. Daystar took the opportunity to groan softly and let his head fall on the table, thinking. _How can I be sure I can trust her? She says she knows Shiara, but does she? How could she tell I'm me? How… just how? And why. Why should she help us? Why would she be this nice? How can I be sure this isn't a trap? Oh, get a grip on yourself Daystar!_

The woman came back, her bandage significantly reduced. "She'll be fine. She needs to rest, but she's definitely had worse than this before." She sat down again and replaced her supplies in her box, shutting it when she was done. She left her hands on the box for a moment, staring down at it, her mind clearly elsewhere. Daystar chose not to say a word. Then she narrowed her eyes and pushed it away from her with a determined gesture, letting her short hair fall forward to hide her face. "As to the questions I'm sure are running through your head-" (_Can she read minds or something? _Daystar thought) "- I do not want to kill you, rob you, hurt you, possess you, or sell you into slavery. My name is Etenia. You can call me Tenia for short if you want."

Etenia… Etenia… why did that name sound so familiar to him? He searched through his memory, bit by bit, trying to recall where or when he might have heard that name…

A cold, rainy day two years ago. Shiara was on a brief visit to the castle. They had begun talking about family, for lack of anything else to do, and she had said…

His jaw dropped again. "You're her _sister_!"

Etenia laughed. "Yes, her older sister. Shiara isn't the only black sheep in the family." She pushed her hair behind her ears, exposing her face again; for a moment Daystar was sure he saw a look of sadness and regret on her face, but he couldn't be sure.

Remembering more of what Shiara had told him that day, he proceeded cautiously. "Not to pry, but she told me you had…" He searched for a diplomatic way of putting it. He didn't find one.

"Run away, disgraced my family, disappeared without a trace, given up, been renounced?" she filled in, gesturing with her right arm. A small, sad smile appeared on her face as she finished. "Yes, all of that's true."

He decided to give up being diplomatic. "But why? She didn't say."

"That's because she didn't know." Etenia sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. "Do you wish to know why?"

"How'd you guess?" he asked wryly.

She smiled slightly again. "I was right about you." He didn't ask what she was right about. "About…. oh, ten years ago, I was fifteen. Our family is made up of fire-witches. Most of us are perfectly normal, or as normal as a fire-witch can be. Shiara wasn't, as you know. She couldn't get anything to work, and had a very great temper about this." She sighed again. "But she was the only one. I, too, am a fire-witch, and for me everything worked like it was supposed to. Anyway, when I was fifteen, Shiara was eleven. She _wanted_ to get her magic to work, more than anything in the world, but it never would. Mother and Father, although they were angry at her not being able to do anything, were secretly proud of her for trying so hard." She smiled ironically. "And I was jealous. I loved her dearly, yet I envied her. For me everything came as it should, nothing out of the ordinary, no great mishaps, nothing. I barely ever received any attention, being sandwiched in the birthline between Shiara, the lovable blunderer, and our older brother, who could do everything perfect and with a whiz-bang finish. I was the ordinary one. I began to resent Shiara for receiving _any_ attention, even if it was the wrong kind. At the same time I was starting to get bored with the 'fire-witch' way of life. I was a restless teenager, and it was all I had ever known, so I started looking for something else I could do… and that would earn my parents' praises. I considered and rejected many things before I finally hit on something that might work: wizardry."

Daystar gasped and quickly looked at the staff in the corner, then looked at her with a question in his eyes.

Etenia saw him and nodded. "Yes, that's a wizard's staff. I became nearly obsessed with the idea of becoming a wizard. Read about it, dreamed about it, lived with the idea for a year before it finally became too much to bear. One night I packed my bag and walked in to my mother and father's room, and announced I was leaving with or without their consent. They yelled at me, screamed, forbid me to go, but I was determined and nothing would hold me back. So I calmly bid them farewell and left the house. I haven't been back since." She paused and bit her lower lip. There was a look on her face, one of someone reliving painful memories that had been long buried, eyes bright with unshed tears. Daystar put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked at him in gratitude and drew a shaky breath to continue. "I wandered for a long time, living hand-to-mouth, until I found the Wizard's School. I banged on the door and asked if they would like another pupil. They wouldn't let me in, just yelled at me to go away. After three days of that I gave up and left. I wandered more. I think I've been almost everywhere now. Awhile later I managed to find the home of a kind elderly wizard, although I didn't know it at first, and asked for food and lodging for the night. He took me in and fed me, gave me an excellent room. He was so nice I stayed with him the next night too. I found out then he was a wizard and begged him to teach me. He just smiled and said 'My dear, as long as you want to learn I would be happy to teach you everything I can.'" The suffering look had vanished, she looked happy again. Then she looked at Daystar and frowned slightly. "My mentor never was a member of the Society of Wizards I'll have you know, and I have not been and will never be."

Daystar laughed and folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his chair. "For some reason I didn't think either of you were. Go on."

She nodded. "I just know that you've had enough problems with that group to last thirty lifetimes. Anyway, he took me in and began to teach me. I stayed with him for four years, learning not only the wizards' way of magic but how to use it around and in conjunction with my fire magic, making me stronger than my teacher quickly. He confessed to me the reason the school would not let me in: female wizards are always stronger than male wizards." She grinned impishly into the middle distance. "Their egos couldn't take it. He didn't mind though, as long as I wanted to learn." The sadness came into her voice again. "Four years ago he died."

He replaced the hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. He must've been really special to you."

"He was. He was like a favorite uncle, or a father." Etenia wiped at her eyes with her hand. "But he had a peaceful death, thank God. It was what he wanted."

Daystar didn't say anything, but squeezed her shoulder.

"After he died, I wandered again, doing wizardries to earn my living as I traveled. I ended up here two days ago. It seemed like a quiet place to stop and work for awhile, once I made the place livable. So far it hasn't been too bad."

"What hasn't? And didn't I hear the word wizardry in there somewhere?" The new voice made them both look up. Shiara was standing in the doorway, a bandage wound around her head over the cut and her hair, looking slightly groggy. Nightwitch was there too, wearing a cat's version of a cross expression and glaring up at Shiara from the floor. Shiara ignored the cat though. "And who are you?" She peered in Etenia's direction, making her eyes focus. "You look sort of like…" Her mouth opened slowly as the realization dawned on her. "Tenia…"

Etenia stood up and smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear again. "Shiara, you should be in bed. That was quite a bad cut that, err, I gave you."

Shiara didn't seem to hear her sister. She walked slowly forward, wobbling slightly and leaning against the wall for support. She waved away Daystar's help when he stood and went to her, instead continuing towards Etenia, a look of mixed hope, disbelief, and shock on her face. Tenia stood where she was, a small smile on her face, waiting for her. Daystar could see now that Shiara was taller than her sister, had more red in her hair, and greener eyes. For all that there was something similar between the two: the same determination, strength, individuality. Daystar almost groaned: he had enough trouble putting up with those qualities in Shiara sometimes. Now he'd have to put up with someone practically the same. It was almost comical.

The sisters ignored him. Tenia put up her arms, still silent, waiting for Shiara to make the next move. Shiara was still leaning against the wall, facing her sister with that same look, but not moving forward a step. They were frozen in a tableau, one more to add to the already interesting night.

Suddenly Shiara's legs gave way. She sank against the wall, waving to her sister that she didn't need help. "I'm… fine…"

Tenia grabbed her around the waist as she passed out cold and shook her head. "Always stubbon, Shiar," she remarked. "Daystar, I'm putting her back in bed. You can have the other room over there." She nodded in the general direction of the door. "I'll share Shiara's." She began to half-carry, half-drag the taller girl back into Cimorene's old room, Nightwitch following her.

Daystar watched her for a minute, then shook his head and walked into the other room. The bed was still there, rather smaller than he remembered, and the dresser as well. "Well," he said to the air, "I can't say today's been boring for once." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: IT'S FINALLY DONE! YAY! **grins** Sorry, no volcano this time. Since it's finally summer (and I now have FREE TIME!) I'm gonna try and write a lot more, so look for updates in the future! ~Noala.

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